“To be honest, I grew up watching National Geographic and Animal Planet shows.”
The trumpeting sound of the elephants, the extremely long neck giraffes, the friendly and playful dolphins, the spouting of the whales, the grizzly bears hunting for salmons, etc, thrilled me at that age as it was a whole different feeling.
That awe-inspiring virtual wild spectacle triggered me to read and watch more about animals in the wild. The interest heightens when animals are part of Science which is my favorite subject of all. With the pleasure of doing experiments on the subject and the fascinating experience from watching the animals, now I proudly grew as an observative and adventurous person.
“The abiding passion led me to pursue my bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology.”
Biotechnology is a technological application that uses Biology to improve the health and lives of people. For example, the development of vaccines, bacterial and yeast cultures, biodegradable plastics, production of biofuel, transgenic plants, cloning, and many more. Throughout my degree course, I spent most of the time in the laboratory setting. It was engaging and fun to apply the theory that I have learned to experiments.
Apart from academics, extra-curricular activities were a sense of entertainment back in my university days. I thoroughly enjoyed organizing activities and events with my society members. To be honest, taking a break and immersing oneself in a different environment gives our brain a chance to recharge, replenish and rejuvenate. For me, meeting and working together with a whole new group of like-minded people was not only refreshing but also memorable.
During my last semester, I chose “Diversity of Freshwater Gastropods in Kampar” as my research title for my Final Year Project. My research aimed to identify the species richness and species diversity of freshwater gastropods. Distinguishing the snails was challenging as they were relatively small: the maximum dimensions of the snails were more or less 4mm. Yet, it was a lifetime experience for me to go into the stream all by myself and went hands-on with the gastropods. I was immensely pleased with this experience and result because my passion drove my Final Year Project.
My passion and affection towards nature did not stop there. After I graduated from university, I actively participated in photography competitions, cleanup events, talks, virtual camps, and quizzes from different organizations and events to gain experience and expand my knowledge in this field. One of the most exciting parts of the events was the amazing prizes. I have won cash prizes, entrance tickets, eco-friendly food containers, caps and some of my top achievements were “Best participant of the Wetland Camp”, 1st place in Batagur Explorace, and Migratory Bird Quiz Hunt, 2nd in a Trivia contest, Wetland Photography Competition, multimedia contest, and many more. Those achievements and prizes encouraged me to diligently and proactively take part in more camps and contests. At the same time, all the meaningful memories and inspiring friendships that I gained through events were certainly something that I will cherish forever.
Fast forward to July 2021, around the same timing as “Plastic Free July”, I made a small effort to establish an Instagram page (@the.wild.essence), aiming to make a significant difference for myself and others. My core mission is to create environmental awareness, share some sustainability tips and fun facts about nature with the public. Currently, I’m in the midst of collaborating with ‘WWF Malaysia’ and I have also recently joined as a member of ‘ProjekWaste’ to raise funds and to do some off-site tasks circulating environmental conservation.
“Be the change you want to see in the world!”
As the saying goes, we must put in the effort to implement the right kind of changes to make the world a better place to live in not just for our future generations but for us here and now. In our daily lives, although as simple as it seems, it is important that we contribute in doing our parts, for example simply just by bringing reusable bags to the grocery store, utilizing energy-efficient appliances, turning off the water and electricity when not using, and avoiding single-use plastic bottles, straws, and utensils. It always starts from one step, and I am sure that this one step will bring us all to a bigger impact. For more useful tips do feel free to check out @the.wild.essence on Instagram. Let’s work together to save the environment for us and for future generations!
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Dharshiniy Balachandran
Dharshiniy is a Biotechnology graduate, founder of @the.wild.essence, a nature & wildlife enthusiast, a WWF volunteer, and a committee member of ProjekWaste. She loves to travel and stay close to nature because it brings her a feeling of serenity, peace, and calmness. Do follow her journey on Instagram @dharshiniy_and @the.wild.essence
Dharshiniy Balachandran
Dharshiniy is a Biotechnology graduate, founder of @the.wild.essence, a nature & wildlife enthusiast, a WWF volunteer, and a committee member of ProjekWaste. She loves to travel and stay close to nature because it brings her a feeling of serenity, peace, and calmness. Do follow her journey on Instagram @dharshiniy_and @the.wild.essence